“You’d have help. You know that, right? Glori, the Cooters…me. But even if you decide not to do it, I still want you. I want us.” He kissed her, and she gave him everything he asked for. Her mouth, her tongue, her fingers fisting in his hair. She hitched up a leg, and he caught it under her thigh. Grinding against him, she gave him everything.
Both of them breathing harshly, she pulled her mouth away. She played with the hair at the back of his neck, and he chased her mouth. But she didn’t give it to him. “Declan, I have another favor to ask.”
“Anything.” His hand squeezed her ass.
“I want us, too. But if we do this, if I stay, you can’t…Declan, don’t break my heart.”
Don’t break my heart.
Are you fucking kidding me?
She had no idea how bad he had it for her. No idea. He’d have to work on that. Show her, tell her, whatever it took for her to understand how much he lo—
He choked on his ice water. The Cooter next to him patted his back. “You okay there, son?”
He could only nod and snatch a napkin out of the dispenser to wipe his chin. When he finished, he found a little girl standing on the banquette of her family’s booth, staring at him. He could almost hear her thoughts. You want her to stick around? Then, tell her how you feel.
Man up.
He’d never said those three words to anyone in his life. He’d loved Sam. He’d loved Kurt. But he’d never told either of them. He’d always figured his actions spoke for him.
Anxiety wound him up, and he tossed the napkin onto the table. Unfinished pie, a half-eaten sandwich, cups of coffee gone cold…the people who’d been sitting here had left, drawn to Phinny. She’d managed to charm an entire community of seniors in the diner.
But he was still stuck in the alley. I want you. I want us.
Don’t break my heart.
Picking up a spoon, he tapped it on the table until the man next to him put his gnarled hand over his.
“You got someplace else you want to be?”
Declan glanced over to find Phinny deep in conversation with a couple of people. “No, sir.” He set the spoon down. She slayed him with her bright, blue eyes and thick, glossy hair, with that smile that lit him up inside.
If anyone needed to worry about his heart…it’s me. He was the one who had all these feelings for a woman who had no business staying in Wyoming. Even after the phone call with her mom, he still couldn’t imagine her choosing a life here.
Right now, it’s interesting. It’s different. It was especially fun since she’d found a summer romance to get her through a really tough emotional time. But…come on. She’d miss her parents, her luxuries, her balls and auctions and limos and…the whole London scene that couldn’t be found in Wyoming.
His phone vibrated, and he pulled it out of his pocket. Not recognizing the number, he was about to let it go to voicemail, but the area code tripped a wire in his brain. Sliding out of the booth, he answered the call as he headed out of the restaurant. “Declan Cadell.”
“Declan. This is James O’Brien. GM of the Bombers.”
The Bombers? They had the most talented roster in the NHL. “Hey. How’s it going?”
“Good, good. I’ll get right to the point. We heard what happened, and we’d like you to join our team as an assistant coach.”
Holy shit. The top team in the league wants me to coach for them? Cupping the back of his head, he slowly turned in a circle.
But wait…what happened?
“I don’t know if you’ve already got something lined up, but we’d like to fly you out here as soon as possible. You interested?”
If I’ve already got something lined up? What the hell does that mean?
But he knew, didn’t he?
The Comets let me go. They hadn’t even bothered to tell him. He couldn’t believe it.
Fuckers.
Shit. I lost my job. He’d expected it, so it shouldn’t hit so hard. And it was less that they didn’t have the decency to tell him and more that he liked this gig. Liked the guys. “Sure, I’m interested.” Of course, he wanted to coach the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.
But as he glanced through the plate glass window, his gaze landed on Phinny, and he knew things had changed. For the first time in his life, he wanted something more than hockey. He wanted her.
“What’s your schedule look like?” the GM asked. “I believe you’re in Wyoming right now, right?”
“How’d you know?”
“Our goalie’s brother is Carl, the wingman of the Renegades. So, we’ve heard about the coaching you’ve done for the guys this summer.”
“Got it.” He stood there a moment, pretty blown away that the Bombers wanted him, but then he saw Phinny throw her head back and laugh, and his focus shifted. If she gave up her life in London to move here, how the hell could he take a job in another state?
Don’t break my heart.
He couldn’t. Right then, he understood there was nothing to talk about. Now that he knew what it felt like to have her in his life, there wasn’t a single temptation that could convince him to walk away from the best thing that had ever happened to him. “James, I appreciate the interest, but I’m going to have to pass.”
“We figured you wouldn’t leave unless you already lined up something.” He sounded disappointed.
“Yeah, but I very much appreciate the offer.”
“Well, if anything changes, let me know. You’ve got my number.”
When he disconnected, he found Phinny standing beside him. “Are you okay?”
He pocketed his phone. “Yeah, everything’s good.”
“Did you get bad news or good? It was hard to tell.”
He couldn’t help smiling. No one had ever paid such close attention to him. “Both. I lost my job and got a job offer.”
Her eyes went wide with concern.
He touched her arm. “I turned it down.” You can trust me. He drew her close and brought his mouth right next to her ear. “Do you honestly think I’d walk away from a woman like you?”
Her hands went to his waist, her fingers digging in. “Just so it’s clear, what kind of woman are we talking about? One that satisfies your sexual appetites?” She pulled back to look him in the eyes. “Or is it my egg-collecting skills?”
He burst out laughing. “It’s because of your ass, and the way it fits in my hands.” He loved the mischief in her eyes. “But I have other reasons.”
“I’m listening.”
“It’s the way you light up a room.” He cupped the face he wanted to look at for the rest of his life. “And my heart.” His thumb brushed her cheek. “I would give up everything just to be with you.”
“Declan.” She got up on her toes and kissed him. It started out sweet and slow, a gesture of affection, but it quickly heated up.
Because her familiar scent surrounded him, and her breasts pressed against him, and the soft, slick, heat of her mouth fired him up.
“Get a room.”
They pulled apart to see the elderly man who’d been seated next to Declan shove a baseball cap on his head and take off down the street.